Question

Posted by: Bob | 2011/08/04

Thunder thighs

Hi Doc

My question is for my niece. She was to know what she can do to loose weight in her thighs. The problem is that she has muscular thighs, yet not to defined but not thunder thighs or much fat on them. She has think ankles, but all in all a good figure. She''s pysically fit, a regular at gym but not sure on how to reduce her thighs or if its possible due to her physic. The women in the family has big thighs and she has the potential to have the same if she does not keep it in check, but she still wants to loose more. She is 20 years old and a bit insecure of herself. Also friends keep on telling her she''s fat, but she''s actually muscular and well built at that.Your help would be appreciated as I don''t want her to move onto any typ of treatment or supplement that might hurt her.

Our expert says:

This is perhaps the most common question, even those who exercise regularly. It’s particularly troublesome as we get older, because we lose muscle mass and that makes it more and more difficult to combat the body’s frustrating tendency to store fat, which is really the problem here. Our genes determine where that fat is deposited, which is why some people battle with the stomach, others with arms or thighs.

Regardless of the location, the key is a combination of proper exercise and careful diet. Proper exercise means avoiding the myth that you can spot reduce. That is, there is a perception that you can target specific areas for fat loss by doing very specific exercise. Unfortunately, a million lunges or squats or any other leg exercises a day is not the sole solution. It certainly has a beneficial effect, as I’ll explain, but by itself is not the solution.

So rather than becoming pre-occupied on one area, your aim should be to increase metabolic rate – that’s how you burn fat. You do through regular cardiovascular exercise, which includes cycling, aerobics, taebo, spinning, walking or jogging. You should then combine this with some weight training.

Weight training, which includes squats and lunges, is helpful because it increases muscle mass (which has the long-term effect of raising metabolic rate) and because it literally helps create more muscle. More muscle means a more toned appearance. Just doing these is a start, but you can raise the impact by doing a variety of exercises that target different the upper leg muscles. I’d suggest speaking to a trainer at the gym to discover these.

Finally, remember that diet is the great “enabler”. If exercise is perfect, but diet poor, then you undermine your progress. So cover that base, perhaps by seeing a dietician, and get cover all three bases.

The information provided does not constitute a diagnosis of your condition. You should consult a medical practitioner or other appropriate health care professional for a physical exmanication, diagnosis and formal
advice. Health24 and the expert accept no responsibility or liability for any damage or personal harm you may suffer resulting from making use of this content.

Our users say:

Posted by: fitnessdoc | 2011/08/15

Hi Bob

This is perhaps the most common question, even those who exercise regularly. It’s particularly troublesome as we get older, because we lose muscle mass and that makes it more and more difficult to combat the body’s frustrating tendency to store fat, which is really the problem here. Our genes determine where that fat is deposited, which is why some people battle with the stomach, others with arms or thighs.

Regardless of the location, the key is a combination of proper exercise and careful diet. Proper exercise means avoiding the myth that you can spot reduce. That is, there is a perception that you can target specific areas for fat loss by doing very specific exercise. Unfortunately, a million lunges or squats or any other leg exercises a day is not the sole solution. It certainly has a beneficial effect, as I’ll explain, but by itself is not the solution.

So rather than becoming pre-occupied on one area, your aim should be to increase metabolic rate – that’s how you burn fat. You do through regular cardiovascular exercise, which includes cycling, aerobics, taebo, spinning, walking or jogging. You should then combine this with some weight training.

Weight training, which includes squats and lunges, is helpful because it increases muscle mass (which has the long-term effect of raising metabolic rate) and because it literally helps create more muscle. More muscle means a more toned appearance. Just doing these is a start, but you can raise the impact by doing a variety of exercises that target different the upper leg muscles. I’d suggest speaking to a trainer at the gym to discover these.

Finally, remember that diet is the great “enabler”. If exercise is perfect, but diet poor, then you undermine your progress. So cover that base, perhaps by seeing a dietician, and get cover all three bases.

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